


사랑이 장난이면 (If Love is a Joke)

by kwlosko



Category: Block B
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Physical Abuse, Recovery, also I prOMISE IT'LL END HAPPY, this is going to end up ot7 if no one stops me
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-31
Updated: 2016-05-31
Packaged: 2018-07-11 08:13:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7040395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kwlosko/pseuds/kwlosko
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"She started off that way, all warmth and laughter and teasing snark, and now… Well, she can still be that, when she wants to."</p><p>It's so easy to take advantage of someone who's desperate.</p><p>Heavily Toy-inspired.</p>
            </blockquote>





	사랑이 장난이면 (If Love is a Joke)

**Author's Note:**

> This is the result of a futile search to find something based around Toy. And an even more futile attempt to stop myself from adding to my very quickly growing list of fics that I'm in the middle of writing.
> 
> Also I did like seven hours worth of research (read: watching videos and reading fanfiction) in an attempt to get a stronger idea of all of their personalities, since I've never written for them before. I think that I'm doing pretty well, giving some leniency because of the situation, but please tell me if you think anything's inaccurate.

“What are we doing?”

It’s more of a thought than anything, and Kyung doesn’t quite realize that he’s voiced it aloud until Jaehyo’s attention turns from his phone, eyes focusing down on him. “What?”

He’s been staring up at the ceiling, silent in a way that should have made someone worry, even if it were just himself. It would have, months ago. He would have caught himself thinking too hard and laughed, cracked a joke, poked at Jaehyo’s calf from where he’s splayed out on the bed. He can’t even remember what bullshit excuse he used to drag himself into the elder’s dorm and fall back onto his bed, but the music major has his knees pulled up, his phone leaned against them as he messes with it, and Kyung is just at the right angle to mess with his leg until the pretty boy groans and relents and pays attention to him, but… he just looks up at him, instead.

He isn’t entirely sure when it started. When his smiles became weaker, his jokes halfhearted, his laugh shaky, the overwhelming, hyperactive charm beginning to fade. When he started to feel his friends begin to wither away with him.

“Kyung,” Jaehyo says a little clearer, his brow furrowed slightly, and it’s only then that he realizes he didn’t answer.

“I… Why are we still with her?” His own brows are furrowing in confusion, but his eyes can’t stay focused on the other boy, not when he sees how his shoulders tense at the words. His gaze focuses on the ceiling instead, and he tries to make it seem like an innocent question, like he can’t feel his stomach turning and his heart clenching so tightly that it aches at the thought.

Jaehyo’s quiet for too long, long enough to have Kyung thinking that he won’t answer, before he just sighs with a resigned, “I dunno. … We’re needy? Probably?”

He isn’t wrong. They all need approval, they all need validation in their own ways, and Kyung guesses that their ragtag group of seven just wasn’t… enough. They aren’t touchy people, they don’t give compliments and sweet words, _none_ of them do, but in one way or another, they all need to hear it. And she took advantage of that. She’s taking advantage of _all_ of them, has been stringing them along for months and they’ve all known it for almost as long, but not one of them has had the courage to _do_ anything.

She’s pretty, that’s obvious, that’s why they were all drawn to her in the first place, but… She’s smart. She can be understanding, can be charming and funny and kind and everything that they all need, or at least that Kyung needs, for a little while. She started off that way, all warmth and laughter and teasing snark, and now… Well, she can still be that, when she wants to. Then she hardens, then she gets demanding, then she picks them apart, finds one thing wrong and tears them down, turns every sweet word into venom and spits it back out. She hurts them until she’s had her fill and then moves onto someone who she deems “better” for the moment and the cycle repeats, and Kyung swears that if he sees Minhyuk flinch, sees a raised voice or a thrown-open door make his eyes fill with sheer terror one more time, he is going to _lose it_.

“I’m breaking up with her,” he manages, and somehow the words come out smooth, sure, not the choked mess that he had been expecting when he felt his throat beginning to close up.

“What?” Jaehyo repeats, his eyes wide and his frame only becoming more tense in his periphery, and when his gaze falls back on him, Kyung doesn’t know what to read beyond the surprise.

He can’t do this anymore. He can’t just _watch_ this. He needs those bad jokes and hysterical laughter and exasperated groans. He needs Jihoon’s cutesy whining and Jaehyo’s constant preening and Taeil’s awkward laughter and Minhyuk’s exaggerated sexual bullshit and Jiho’s affectionate teasing and Yukwon’s kitten smiles. He can’t stand just watching them fade away, aching and scared and miserable because they’re all too desperate for love to break up with the one person who’s hurting all of them.

“I’m breaking up with her.” The conviction is stronger this time, even if the words are shaking slightly, as he forces himself up into a sitting position. “I… Maybe it’ll make it easier for everyone else to.”

Jaehyo is silent again, something that has gotten worse and worse lately. He’s never been the most talkative, never bouncing off the walls like Kyung or teasing like Jiho or badgering everyone like Jihoon, but all of them have become so much quieter, so much more withdrawn, so much… sadder. There’s a gloom hanging over all of their heads, beneath their feet, swallowing up bright skies and soft carpet and he swears that he can feel shackles locked around his ankles beneath it.

“Good luck.” The words are honest, but too soft, resigned, as Jaehyo picks his phone back up.

Kyung just pushes himself up into a sitting position, takes a deep breath, and braces himself as he gets to his feet.

Somehow, he’s going to do this.

-           -           -

Two hours later, Kyung is back at his own dorm but still staring into the bathroom mirror, trying to tell himself that he can. That the worst that she can do is no worse than something she’s already done.

Unless she does it to someone else.

He feels bile climbing up his throat at the thought, feels his stomach lurch at the idea of hurting one of them so much worse when all he wants is for everything to be _better_ , feels his hands beginning to tremble and grasps the edge of the counter harder to stop them, when the almost-closed door is pushed the rest of the way open.

“Hyung.”

For all his worry about other people doing it, Kyung jumps, nearly choking on air as his eyes warily lock onto the face of the blond in the doorway. “Hi, Jiho,” he chokes out, trying to laugh it off, but his smile is shaking and the chuckle is broken.

“Still having a little trouble?” Jiho just _looks_ at him, and Kyung feels his heart sink even further. When did this happen? When did his eyes become so dead, so completely devoid of the passion that used to fill him up, that fond annoyance they always sparkled with when the two of them were together?

“Yeah,” he admits with another broken laugh, trying so hard to make it seem like it’s no big deal. Maybe he can convince himself…

Jiho hesitates in the doorway for a long moment before stepping closer, patting at the top of the elder’s head. It isn’t affectionate and teasing, not like it should have been, not like he knows they both want it to be. It’s heavy-handed and awkward and hurts more than comforts, but the fact that they can’t even relax around each other, that every movement is so tense and painful, makes Kyung take in a deep breath, steeling himself.

“You, uh…” He can feel Jiho searching for words, can see it in the nearly dead eyes reflected in the mirror. “You can do this.” _Because someone has to_ , he finishes silently, and Kyung just pushes that bright smile that he used to wear all the time up onto his lips.

It almost looks half-convincing.

“Yeah. Yeah, I can.”  He pushes back off of the counter, turning to face the younger and feeling that grin becomes a little more confident when the mildly surprised look turns into a dimly lit smile.

“Do us proud,” Jiho mumbles, giving his arm a soft punch like this is nothing more than another open mic night, like all he has to do is go on stage and open his mouth and let the words flow forth.

Maybe that can be the best case scenario.

“Aw, so sweet,” he teases, too gently, but his shoulders relax when he sees the tiniest bit of light breathed into that smile. “You’re in charge of dinner, yeah? Make sure you don’t burn anything.”

Jiho groans and rolls his eyes, but there’s warmth beginning to slowly fill his eyes, his shoulders beginning to loosen, and Kyung very quickly finds himself following suit. “I’m not gonna burn anything, jackass. Now go. Shoo.” But his pushes are gentle, and if Kyung honestly weren’t ready, he’d easily be able to slip away.

He’s still trying to convince himself that he _is_ , but he skips over to the door anyway, fighting to find the energy that used to fill him to the brim. “Goodbye darling~” he sings, and the soft, disbelieving laugh that he gets in response is more than enough to spur him onwards.

It’s only when he’s outside that he leans against the door and sucks in a deep breath, pushing down every fear of what’s going to happen, every worry about things getting worse for someone else, because this is _going to work_.

It has to.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, I'm gonna just blatantly ask people for ideas, here. I have a very basic plot outline, and I know who's going to get the brunt of the pain (certainly seemed like he did in the video at least), but that's about all. Ships... Well, this has a very good chance of going in an OT7 direction, and I'm 95% sure that it'll be heavy on the U-Bomb no matter what, because they are literally... the only people that I have detailed ideas for. But tell me what you think!


End file.
